Witch's Sham
by BettyHT
Summary: A family moves into the Virginia City area intent on causing trouble that will allow them to gain riches or so they believe. They do everything that they can to make that come true, but when they attack Adam Cartwright, things don't work out the way that they hoped.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

It was an unseasonably hot night on the Ponderosa. The front door stood open and the light from inside lit the front porch. All the windows were wide open as well trying to catch what breeze they could. The heat was stifling. Adam rode up to the house in a sour mood. He had been insulted so often that day that he didn't know how he had managed to keep his temper from flaring but had managed it. He heard his family talking as he neared the front door, and the conversation made him stop.

"Perhaps Adam doesn't want it to be true. He's always had a great deal of sympathy in his heart for the plight of the Indians here. He is upset that they have lost their lands and their ability to feed their people."

"But Pa, didn't we take this here land from the Paiutes? Why doesn't he feel bad about that?"

"Hoss, we have been good neighbors to the Paiute. We have claimed the land in a more permanent way than their way, but we have never denied them the right to pass through our lands, to hunt and fish on them, and to make their camps on our land. We haven't decimated the animals that they hunt. In fact, where we have cut out timber, there are more animals because there is more low browse for them to eat."

"Why can't all white men live with the Paiute that way?"

"Joe, gold has blinded too many. They cut the trees with no regard for the future, they hunt the animals until they can't find any more, and they foul the water. Many of the Indians have died as a result and their population is dropping."

"So you think that the Bannocks did try to take Anna? They wanted her to be part of the tribe?"

"There's been more of that lately. They have taken several women and some children."

"So who do you think Adam saw her with then? He seems real shur it was them Bannocks."

"Her family dresses in whatever they can find. From a distance, I think they could look like Bannocks. They certainly are rough enough looking. I've seen that poor woman's wounds. She was brutalized by someone and there's no getting around that."

"Pa, do ya think that they, you know, did things with her?" Hoss felt sympathy for Anna Pirtnac.

"Doctor Martin said that she cries most of the time when he sees her. She told him she's afraid that she might be with child. Only time will tell on that score. She's going back to her family's camp. I would think it would be terrifying to have to go back there after what happened, but she has no where else to go."

On the porch, Adam turned to go. He had heard enough and didn't want to engage in that conversation again. He had been in town that day and had many people openly questioning not only his eyesight and his honesty but his motives as well.

"You never saw that woman with them Injuns unless you saw them taking her and didn't help her none."

"Cartwright, you always was an Injun lover."

"Yeah, you'd lie to protect them thievin' savages."

"Why do you always take their side? What do they give you that's worth our lives?"

Wanting to respond, Adam had seen Sheriff Roy Coffee and walked over to talk with him knowing that people would not be so vocal with their commentary and questions if Roy was near. It wasn't the most courageous way to handle the criticism, but it worked and was the smart thing to do. Getting in a fight over this was what the hecklers and skeptics wanted. He didn't want to give them the satisfaction of knowing they had gotten under his skin with their pointed insults.

"Adam, I see you heard some of the talk that's been going on around town. People believe what they want ta believe and only listen to things that back up their ideas. Facts don't seem to make a difference to some people's opinions neither."

"Do you believe me?"

"Adam, now don't go insulting me cause you're mad at these other folks. Course I believe you. I been trying to make sense of the whole thing though and I can't. I been talking to folks about these Pirtnacs and I can't rightly put together all that I'm hearing. Kind of a strange thing what happened with no one else seeing no one and no other raids or nothing. It's mighty odd."

A few days earlier while riding back to the Ponderosa from town, Adam had seen Anna Pirtnac rendezvous with three Bannock and ride off with them. He had thought it exceedingly odd at the time, but they had seemed very friendly and there was no force involved. After she had been brought to town bruised and battered with her clothing torn claiming that she had been abducted by three Bannocks, Adam had stepped forward to tell what he had seen. It had been poorly received and highly doubted. On his visit to town, he had been reminded of that, and now on the porch of the first home he had known, he stood listening to his family saying some of the same kind of things he had heard in town although much more politely. He wasn't in the mood to endure any more of that and preferred going home to Rosalie and the children.

Candy was working in the stable and watched Adam leave without ever entering the house. It was Candy's opinion that family business was none of his business but it did bother him that there was a problem within the family like this. He watched as Adam walked Sport out of the yard and then heard him ride away. In the house, the conversation had taken a different tack.

"Pa, them Pirtnacs are a right ornery bunch. Do you think it's possible that her brothers roughed her up real bad so they could blame the Bannocks for it and that she's lying about the whole thing?"

"It's possible, Hoss, but why would they do it?"

"It's a perfect way to start an Indian war, Pa. You know that there are people who want that Bannock land because they think there's gold there. Hoss might be right. I wouldn't trust any of that bunch. They could have made this all up."

Thinking about what his sons had said, Ben realized that it made very good sense and fit what Adam had said that he had seen. "Sometimes it takes the three of us to think things through. Adam said something like that to Sheriff Coffee. No one was willing to listen to him because they had seen the condition of that woman and she claimed Bannocks had done it. I wonder now how she knew they were Bannock. Most people around here still can't tell a Bannock from a Paiute or any other tribe for that matter."

"Pa, maybe me and Joe should ride to town tomorrow and talk to Roy. If we back up what Adam said, maybe he'll start thinking about that being possible."

"Adam should be here by now. I wonder what's keeping him. He said he was coming over after dinner to talk about the roundup and the drive." Ben walked to the front door and out on the porch. He saw Candy walking to the bunkhouse. "Candy, we're waiting for Adam. When he gets here, could you take care of his horse, please?"

"Adam's been here and gone. He walked up on the porch a while back and stood there before he turned and left."

Ben dropped his head and rubbed his forehead. He had a good idea of why Adam had left. Joe came up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. Hoss suggested that he ought to ride to Adam's house and explain that they were discussing things and had come around to his point of view.

"No, we should all go. We can straighten this out and then talk about the roundup and the drive." Ben strode to the stable with Hoss and Joe at his side.

In town earlier, an entirely different conversation had taken place. Anna Pirtnac and her three brothers were discussing their scheme. It hadn't worked as well as they had wanted it to work and they needed to do more. They had designs on Bannock land because they believed there was gold on it. If there was a war, the Bannocks would likely be reduced in number and sent to a reservation. In that case, the land would be open to claims. Anna and her brothers hoped to make at least four claims. Even if they didn't find gold, they could sell the land for money and it would not have cost them anything except some time and effort. At least, that was their plan.

"There's a lot of grumbling but no action. We need a war to start. It's time for our Bannock friends to make one more raid. This time they're going to hit Adam Cartwright's home on the Ponderosa. Kill him and take the woman and brats with them. They can let them go as soon as they're chased."

"Why Adam Cartwright?" Eke was always more cautious than his sister even though he always ended up following her ideas of what to do.

"Because he's talking against me. He saw me riding out with our Bannock friends. He's going to create too much doubt if he gets to keep talking. He was in town today."

"Yeah, we heard, but there was a lot of talk against what he was saying." Eke had been ready to charge in and demand that Adam shut up. He wanted to say that Adam was lying about his sister and what had happened. Bob had made quite a show of stopping him by talking furiously that they shouldn't do anything to Adam saying quite loudly that it was a matter for the sheriff to deal with a man spreading lies about Anna.

"Maybe, but ifn he keeps on a talking, sooner or later, some people are gonna start believing him. Anna is right. We need to do something about him." Janus was the most bloodthirsty of the brothers and seemed to enjoy killing and creating mayhem. Anything less bored him.

"Not just 'something'! We need to shut him up permanently."

"Anna, ain't it too suspicious to go after him then? I mean people know that we're the ones, well especially you're the one, that he's been talking about. Ifn he suddenly ends up dead, ain't everybody gonna be looking at us?" Once more Eke did his best to talk Anna into a less extreme solution, and again, he failed to convince her.

"No, I don't think so. Once they hear that another woman has been taken and her two brats too, they'll be chomping at the bit to get the Bannocks who did it. Even the Cartwrights will be on our side if one of their own is dead and Ben Cartwright's precious grandchildren are missing even for a short time." Anna's brothers nodded in acceptance of her logic. "Do we still have the two extra arrows and pieces of cloth to leave behind as clues?"

"Yup, still got pieces of that shirt that got ripped. They'll know it's the same bunch then."

"Good. I want the three of you to go with them for the raid. Wear your moccasins so there aren't any boot prints around. You can ride back here as soon as it's done. The Bannocks can haul the woman and kids away. You make sure that he's dead though."

"Anna, I can't go with 'em. Anyone gets a good look at me and the whole thing's a bust." Eke stood almost six and a half feet tall with red hair and the most pale skin a white man could have. He was correct about standing out in a crowd.

"All right, you hang back and watch the horses. Keep your rifle handy in case they need any covering fire. It's not likely, but I don't want anything to go wrong with this. Understand?" Janus and Bob nodded, but anyone could tell that Eke was less than happy with his orders. None of them would disobey their sister though. She had inherited the military mind of their father and her plans and organization had worked very well for them in the past. She smiled to let them know she appreciated them and watched as they mounted up and headed out. She wished her brothers were smarter but it was what she had so she had learned to accept it. Eke was the smartest of the three and they shared a father. Bob had been fathered by an unknown miner passing through and was the youngest of the family as well as the most loyal to Anna. The second youngest was Janus who was the quiet sneaky one. Anna had to watch him all the time because he thought he could get away with doing things he wanted to do. They had to leave the Sacramento region before he was caught and strung up for the deaths of several young women. Anna hoped he could keep himself under control long enough for them to complete their plan. At some point, she might have to cut him loose. Their mother had been proud that the four of them stuck together through all kinds of trouble, but she was dead, and Janus was a definite liability especially because he would never change his name to fit her scheme and cover their tracks. Only Janus still had the name that their mother had given him at birth. She hoped that no one made the connection between them and what had happened near Sacramento.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The Pirtnac brothers and their three Bannock accomplices approached Adam Cartwright's home on the Ponderosa at dusk. They saw light from the house and then saw a man ride to the small stable. He lit a lantern and then led his horse inside. Eke smiled.

"Boys, this is gonna be easier than we thought. Adam Cartwright is alone in the stable. Bob and Janus, you go with Snake. Snake, all you have to do is shoot an arrow into his chest. Now that shouldn't be too hard. Tagi and Tuku, you go to the house. You ought to be able to take a woman and two children with just the two of you. I'll hold the horses right here."

"No problem, brother. We got this." Confident, Bob and Janus walked quietly to the stable with Snake right behind them as Tagi and Tuku stealthily approached the house.

Inside the house, Rosalie looked out the window when she heard a rider. She could tell it was Adam when he lit the lantern and walked into the stable with his horse. She picked up Annie to take her to her room and told William to come with her. He wanted to wait for his father, but Rosalie said he would do that in his bedroom. Upstairs in Annie's room, Rosalie glanced out the window again, but what she saw made her heart race. There were men approaching the stable and it appeared that there were two approaching the house. She grabbed Annie and rushed to William's room grabbing him by the hand and taking him with her to the master bedroom. She closed the door and told William to sit in the corner. Annie started to cry but Rosaie had no time to soothe her. She opened the closet and took a rifle from the top shelf and rushed to the window firing three shots in rapid succession. She prayed that the emergency signal would be enough, but heard shots outside soon after. She laid Annie in the corner of the room and told William to sit beside her as she trained the rifle on the door.

At the stable, Snake had waited for Adam to exit the stable and shot an arrow into him but hit him in the hip. Adam had grabbed his pistol firing several shots in the general direction of his assailants to gain some time, and moving awkwardly, he had retreated into the stable blowing out the lantern as soon as he could. Bob and Janus stood with Snake and looked at the dark open door of the stable.

"No wonder the Bannocks kicked you out. You're a terrible shot. You should have been able to put that in his chest. Now we gotta flush him out or rush him so you can put one in his chest and finish him off." The one that Anna called Snake nodded without expression but when Bob's back was turned, there was a look of hatred. What Snake didn't know was that Bob and Janus felt the same way about him because of the time he spent with their sister. More than once they had wanted to kill him when they saw him leave Anna's tent in the early morning hours. Neither of them could accept that Anna and Snake were lovers, but they wouldn't publicly say anything about it because of their loyalty to their sister.

In the stable, Adam had managed to get himself behind a bale of hay and the thin wall of one stall. He couldn't move well because the pain of the arrow in his hip was too great. That wound wasn't bleeding much but hobbled him as effectively as if he had one leg tied to the other. He checked around the stable to make sure that his assailants didn't have a firing line from a window or the back door. They didn't so he waited for them to rush him expecting them to come all at once. He had managed to reload his pistol but knew every shot had to count or he was dead. He was well aware that the odds were stacked against him. As he waited with his teeth clenched against the pain, he heard three shots. Despite the throbbing agony of the arrow stuck in his hip, he had to smile a little. Rosalie had done as he had explained many times. In case of emergency, she was to get herself and the children to as safe a place as she could and then fire off three shots. The main house wasn't that far away and they would be able to be there to help within a short time. He hoped he had that much time but suspected he didn't.

Bob and Janus spun around wondering why there were rifle shots fired from the house. Tagi and Tuku were supposed to be sneaking up to the house to take the woman and two children hostage. As far as the two men knew, they hadn't gotten there yet and neither was carrying a rifle.

"What the hell was that?" Bob stared at the house as if an answer would be forthcoming.

"I dunno. Maybe it's a signal of some kind. Maybe she's calling for help."

"Damn, you're probably right. Well, we ain't got much time. We gotta rush him. It's so dark he won't see us till we're on him. Janus, remember to keep low. You go right. I'll go left, and Snake can back us up and then shoot the bastard once we get him unarmed."

It happened very fast and much like Bob had predicted except Adam managed to shoot Janus in the left side before Bob tackled him. The two struggled only for a short time because the attack had rolled Adam onto the hip with the arrow in it breaking the shaft and driving the point deeper into his hip. The shock, pain, and blood loss were too much and Caleb managed to disarm him. Bob stood then and pointed down at the wounded man.

"All right, Snake. He's not moving now so right into the chest."

Holding a hand to his side, Janus had lit a lantern so they could see what they were doing. Knowing he had only one chance, Adam watched as the one called Snake pulled back the bowstring and aimed at his chest. He watched for the slightest twitch in the man's fingers and when he saw it, he jerked himself sideways. The arrow penetrated just under his right arm. The pain from his hip with the pain from the new wound was excruciating. He saw flashing lights and then darkness. In the stable, Bob was incensed.

"That was the last arrow we had. He better bleed to death or Anna's not gonna be too happy with you." Then Janus had a thought. He picked up the pistol that Adam had dropped and quickly turned and shot Snake through the heart. The Bannock man dropped on his back staring sightlessly up at the beams of the stable roof.

"Janus, what the hell did you do that for?"

"Bob, we both hated that Injun. It's his fault I got shot. This way, there's proof that Injuns did this. See, Adam there shot him before the Injuns could finish him off. We don't have to shoot him to finish the job. He's bleeding like a pig tied up for slaughter. He won't live. Now let's go see if those other two Injuns done what they were told."

Outside the stable, Bob and Janus saw Tagi and Tuku dragging a small bare-footed boy between them. They had gagged him and tied a large cloth tied around his eyes, but the boy was flailing and fighting them as well as he could. Once they were close, Bob demanded to know what had happened. Tagi answered.

"Woman had rifle and protected children. She had a little one behind her and this one at her skirt. We said we would shoot this one if she shot at us. We took him. Now we must go. Riders are coming. Where is Snake?"

"Cartwright killed him." Seeing their looks, Janus quickly explained. "Snake put two arrows into him first. He won't live."

It was only later that Tagi and Tuku wondered how that had happened. If Cartwright had two arrows in him that were going to kill him, how did he shoot Snake? If he shot Snake first, then how did Snake put two arrows into him? They suspected they knew the answer, but by the time they had talked about it and agreed that it was true, they were running from a posse. First though their job was to invite that pursuit. Tagi mounted up and Tuku grabbed a struggling William and handed him up to Tuku who struggled to hang onto the boy. The two rode behind the Pirtnac brothers until they had gone about a mile. Then they stopped and got their instructions before they began the hard ride toward Bannock lands.

At Adam's home, Rosalie wanted to run outside to find Adam and have him rescue William, but she couldn't risk Annie. She waited although it was perhaps one of the most difficult things that she had ever done. When she heard horses arriving, she rushed to the window, then grabbed Annie and headed outside stopping on the porch to light a lantern when she saw that it was Ben and Adam's brothers. She could barely keep the hysteria from her voice.

"They took William. They said they would shoot him if I shot at them. I couldn't take the chance. Adam is in the stable. I heard shooting."

As Hoss and Joe turned to rush to the stable, Ben dismounted and went to Rosalie. "Who took William?"

"There were two Indians, I think they were Bannock, but they spoke English rather well. I told William to be brave and that we would come for him. That's true, isn't it?" Rosalie almost screamed then as Hoss emerged from the shadows carrying Adam whose shirt was soaked in blood that even the lantern light showed to be from an arrow protruding from his right side.

Joe moved in front of Hoss and shifted Rosalie out of the way so that Hoss could carry Adam inside. About that time, Candy arrived with some of the hands. They saw Hoss with Adam and asked what they could do.

Rosalie had rushed inside after thrusting Annie into Joe's hands. He followed her in leaving Ben on the porch alone. "Candy, send one of the men for the doctor. Better yet, send two. We don't know what kind of danger is out there right now. Bannock Indians took William and shot Adam. Send two back to the house to tell them what has happened. The rest of you can keep watch here."

As soon as Candy started to get the men following those orders, Ben hurried into the house then. Adam was lying on the floor of his main room as Hoss stripped the bloody clothing from him with Rosalie's help. Joe stood holding Annie and doing his best to keep her busy even as the baby sensed the tension in the room.

"How is he?"

Hoss talked as he worked. "He's bleeding bad, Pa, but the wounds don't look too serious. The one by his arm went in at an angle. It ripped a lot of his hide and tore into the muscle so there's a lot of bleeding but it don't look too bad. It probably hurts like hell. Oh, sorry, Sis. I didn't mean to talk like that in front of you." Rosalie only nodded as she pressed a wad of cloth against the wound in Adam's side even as Hoss finished removing Adam's pants. "There's another wound in his hip. It looks like the shaft broke off and the arrow is in there mighty deep. That one probably hurts something fierce too. Doc will have to get that one out. We'll get the bleeding stopped as quick as we can."

Joe looked at his father. "There's a dead Bannock in the stable. Looks like Adam got him with one shot. It's the one that they call Snake." Ben frowned at the news, but there was too much to do to discuss it at that time.

On the floor, Rosalie knelt beside Hoss as both worked on Adam. Once the bleeding had diminished from the wound in Adam's side, Rosalie strapped a new thick pad of cloth to it. Ben helped by lifting Adam's upper body so that Rosalie could wrap a bandage around it. Then the three of them managed to get a bandage wrapped around Adam's hip. Carefully Hoss and Ben lifted Adam and carried him up the stairs and to his bedroom. Once Adam was settled in the bed, Hoss went back down the stairs to clean up the mess. Ben sat with Rosalie who once again had Annie in her arms. Tears were flowing then. Ben reached out to Rosalie and wrapped an arm around her doing his best to soothe her by promising that they would get William back the next day.

"They won't harm him. They take children because they want them in the tribe. They don't take them to harm them." Ben did his best to give her hope and it reassured him as much as it did her to hear the words spoken.

"But William has his father's temper. What if he fights them?"

"He may have his father's temper, but he is still not quite five years old. They most likely tied him as much as they needed to control him."

Adam moaned then and both turned their attention to him hoping that he had awakened. He had not. Covered in a sheen of sweat, he had roused somewhat but the pain was overwhelming especially in his shoulder where the wound had caused swelling that was pressing on the nerve juncture. The pain was so severe that he couldn't think nor open his eyes or talk, and slipped back into unconsciousness with a vague feeling that something was amiss, but he didn't know what it was. The next time he neared consciousness was when Doctor Martin began probing for the arrowhead in his hip and then had to open the wound more in order to remove the arrowhead. He moaned with the pain until Doctor Martin had cleaned that wound thoroughly and then moved to the wound in Adam's side. The pain was again so excruciating that Adam had a mild seizure reaction. Paul stopped working for a moment and put some drops of laudanum under Adam's tongue. As he swallowed that, he gave him more until Adam had swallowed a full dose.

"He's not aware of anything. If he was, he would refuse this. I know Adam and he hates the stuff, but I need him still when I work on that wound. It's close to an artery, and I have to be very careful. I want to see if the artery is nicked at all. Then I will carefully clean that wound and stitch it closed."

Outside, Hoss tossed the rug sodden with Adam's blood onto a small bonfire the men had lit to light the yard. Then he grabbed a lantern and asked Candy and Joe to do the same. "Stay behind me to give me more light. I want to see what tracks I can find."

By dawn, there were more questions than answers on Adam's condition and who had conducted the raid on Adam's home.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

In the early morning, Hoss had his horse saddled and waited for enough light to start tracking. Men were saddling horses and getting canteens filled as Joe and Ben walked from the house to where the men were getting ready. Joe had been back to the main house to make sure the men there kept a close watch. Joelle and Hoss' three children stayed at the house as there was already too much commotion at Adam's house. Joe had returned a short time before Rosalie's father and brothers arrived ready to ride with the Ponderosa hands.

"Clarence, boys, welcome. I wish the circumstances were better."

"How is Rosalie, Ben?"

"Exhausted, but she's all right. She's terribly worried about William and Adam. Thank you for going along to help get William back."

"Ben, of course we're helping. That's my only grandson too so far. We'll get him back, and make them that done it sorry they ever took him."

"Hoss, are you going to wait for Roy and a posse?"

"No, Pa. Ifn they waited for first light, they just got started on their way here. We can do a lot of tracking in the time it takes 'em to get this far. They can follow us. We'll leave signs. How's Adam?"

"Doc Martin has him sedated. The bleeding has stopped and Paul says that the wounds themselves are not life threatening."

"But?"

"He lost a lot of blood. He's weak, and the pain makes him weaker by sapping his strength. We can only wait now for him to wake up. Paul says that the sooner he wakes, the better it will look. With the laudanum though, it may be some time before he can wake up even if he could otherwise. Oh, I'm just rambling. You go and do what you have to do. I'll stay here." Ben handed a saddlebag to Hoss. "It's got William's shoes, some clothing, and food."

Nodding, Hoss waited for Joe to saddle up Cochise and fill his canteen. Then the group headed out on its rescue mission. Ben was torn. He desperately wanted to help find his grandson, but he was pulled to stay at Adam's side until he was awake. He walked slowly back to the house saying a prayer for both of them. He found Rosalie in the kitchen making coffee and baking biscuits.

"Adam loves biscuits. I'm hoping the smell of coffee and biscuits in the house will help." As Rosalie worked, tears rolled down and dripped onto the apron she had on over her dress.

"You need to get some rest. Annie will be awake soon, and then perhaps Adam will wake too. Why don't you lie down for a few hours? I'll make sure that the biscuits don't burn. Hop Sing will be here soon with breakfast."

"You haven't had any sleep either."

"I can rest in the rocking chair once Hop Sing gets here. When do you expect Minnie back?"

"She was supposed to return today. She stayed at her son's house a day longer than usual because they were having a birthday party for her youngest grandchild. Once this news gets to town, I don't know when she'll come back. She may want to stay in town where it's safer."

"She'll be back to help if I know Minnie. She'll be here as soon as she can find someone to give her a ride. Now, go lie down and rest. I'll heat some water for you to freshen up later."

"I don't know if I can sleep. William must be so frightened. Just the thought of how terrified he must be breaks my heart. And Adam, oh, Ben, what will I do if anything happens to William and what if Adam doesn't wake up?"

"We'll pray. William is a strong little boy. Yes, he must be frightened, but he knows that his family will come for him. He must know that. Adam is a strong man. He has survived worse than this and so have you. Now, go lie down, say a prayer, and then close your eyes."

Ben got a tray of biscuits, preserves, and coffee ready as he got water heating. Hop Sing arrived and began bustling about the kitchen so Ben took the tray upstairs. He found Rosalie sitting on the bed next to Adam. When he looked at Paul, the doctor shrugged.

"She needs to rest, but I understand why she can't. Perhaps she can lie down next to Adam. It won't bother him and might give him some comfort if he's aware someone is there next to him."

Almost immediately, Rosalie took him up on that suggestion. She moved to Adam's left side and lay down beside him. Ben set the tray down and took a light blanket and draped it over Rosalie as she rested. He motioned to the tray and Paul took a cup of coffee and a biscuit. When he finished those, he motioned to Ben to meet him in the hallway. In a whisper, he updated Ben as much as he could.

"There's no more bleeding. There's nothing more I can do for Adam now. If he develops a high fever or has any other major change in his condition, then send for me. I'm going back to town to try to hopefully get a few hours of sleep before I have to see any patients."

"Thank you, Paul, for everything. We'll take good care of Adam."

"You always do, Ben. I'll leave some laudanum with Hop Sing. He'll know what to do to get Adam to take it if needed. Cool compresses on that shoulder might help soothe some of that pain too by reducing the swelling. I would wrap the shoulder but I'm afraid it would cause him more pain."

As Paul walked down the stairs, Minnie and her son, Reverend Miller entered the house. Relieved to see them, Ben motioned them to come up the stairs and met them at the top. "Thank you, both, so much for coming. Minnie, Rosalie just laid down to get some rest. Could you take care of Annie? I'm sure she will be awake soon and wondering where her parents are."

"Ben, how is Adam? When I heard, we just had to come right away." Minnie thought of Adam and his family as part of her family. She was very worried.

"Adam is holding his own. He's weak, but he should be fine and in a great deal of pain. Hoss and Joe have led some of our men to track down those who took William and get him back."

"We heard it was Bannocks. There's a call for a militia to go after them." Reverend Miller was upset. Any talk of war upset him. He and Adam had often talked about the relations between whites and Indians, and neither could see a long-term solution to the troubles because of the greed of the men who sought gold and silver. Neither saw a positive outcome for the Indians, and trouble like this only spurred on the efforts of those who wanted to decimate the Indian population. To him, it seemed very strange that the Bannocks would attack one of the few white men who championed their cause and helped as much as he could as did his family. It made no sense to him.

"Rosalie said it was two Bannocks who threatened her and took William. When Adam wakes, he can tell us who attacked him."

"They may not have been the same ones?"

"He was attacked at the same time that the two Bannocks were in the house. We know there were more than two here because there's another one dead in the stable. We'll ship that body to town today sometime. It's the one they call Snake."

Reverend Miller frowned at that information. "But that doesn't make any sense. The Bannocks banished him years ago. He doesn't ever ride with them. They feel about him like they feel about white men. They don't want him on their land. What's even more odd is that there have been rumors about him, ah, keeping company with Anna Pirtnac. This gets more and more strange."

"I didn't know that he knew the Pirtnacs at all. Now what Adam saw makes things even more suspicious. Yes, it does keep getting more and more strange. Once Hoss and Joe bring William home safely, we need to start checking into a few things. A lot of this doesn't add up."

After showing Reverend Miller to Adam's room. Ben heard a number of horses outside and hurried down the stairs hoping that Hoss and Joe were back with William. He knew it was unlikely, but he had been praying and couldn't help the look of disappointment when he saw Roy and a dozen other men who had volunteered for the posse.

"Ben, we got here as soon as we could. Is Hoss out tracking them?"

"He is tracking them, Roy. He left with Joe and Candy and a number of our men. They'll leave blaze marks. Watch for them."

"What direction?"

"Due north."

"Was it definitely Bannocks?"

"Roy, Rosalie was confronted by two Bannocks. There's a third one dead in the stable. It's the one they call Snake. He was banished by the tribe over a decade ago. There are some odd things about all of this, but first we have to get William back and then wait for Adam to wake up so he can tell us what happened."

"Adam ain't been able to tell you nothing then?"

"No, he's been unconscious the whole time so he can't tell us anything. We're hoping that later today he might wake and be able to at least tell us who attacked him. Doctor Martin was tending to him until a short time ago, and now Hop Sing will be taking care of him."

"I shur hope that boy wakes up like you say and tells us what happened. If we can use one of your horses, I'll see of one of the men here will take that body to town and tell Clem what we know so far. Things are pretty stirred up in town. There's talk of forming a militia."

"I heard that there was a call for a militia. It's too soon for that. We need to find out what happened first."

There was some grumbling in the posse that they already knew what had happened. Roy turned to them and reminded them that he was in charge. Two men volunteered to take the body back to town. They hoped to show everyone one of the dead Bannocks who had carried out the raid. Roy knew how inflammatory that was going to be but could see no other way to do it. Ben understood that too.

"Roy, maybe those two men could stand guard here today and then take the body back when some of our men return." It was a delaying tactic and Roy appreciated that Ben had given him that help.

"Ben, that there is a good idea. Now, you two, you willing to stand guard over these folks and make sure no more harm comes to them?"

The two men were willing, so Roy headed out with the rest of the posse to try to catch up with Hoss and Joe who were leading the rescue effort to find William. On that trail, Hoss tracked as Joe and Candy kept watch. The other men trailed behind leaving blaze marks for the posse to follow. Joe and Candy talked about how odd the whole situation had become.

"Joe, you ever seen any Indians leave an easier trail to follow?"

"No, I haven't. At first, I was worried thinking there was some kind of ambush set up for us, but there's no sign of that. It appears that there are only two Indians and William. He may be small but Hoss says one of the horses is either carrying a very large Indian or he has William on the horse with him."

"Well, there were some tracks back there that showed that one of the men was very large. Of course, he would have to be the largest Indian I ever saw, or it was a white man."

"Yes, and four of the horses were shod. Only the two we're following were not. Now, how many Indians ride shod horses?"

"Only those who live with white men. Snake probably had a shod horse after living among whites for so long."

"Candy, I think you're thinking what I'm thinking. The three horses that left and headed east were probably white men. They led the fourth horse that had no rider because Snake was dead. Now why would white men attack Adam and his family?"

"Joe, I can only think of one reason for that. They wanted the Bannocks to be blamed. They want to start an Indian war."

"Yeah, that's what Adam thought when he heard about Anna Pirtnac. Now I'm thinking he was on to something.

"What did your Pa think?"

"At first, he was upset that Anna was attacked. Now he wonders if her brothers or the Bannocks she was riding with did it to her and that they want a war so that they can get some Bannock land. We were planning to go to Adam's house and talk to him about it when we heard the three shots." Joe sighed deeply then as he remembered what they had found when they reached Adam's home.

"Yeah, things kinda got real serious then. I wonder how they're reacting to this in town. There's been talk about sending a militia to punish the Bannock for what happened to Anna Pirtnac. That's gotta be getting to be more likely now."

"Candy, I'm afraid that's probably true, but right now, we need to find William."

Hoss halted then and looked back. "All right you two, quiet down. Nobody do no talking. We're getting real close. Keep a close eye out for anything out of the ordinary. I wouldn't put it past them to set up an ambush."

The men proceeded very carefully then. When Hoss led them out into a valley, Joe pointed ahead.

"Hoss, there's something on the ground down at the bottom of this slope."

Hoss saw the bundle and believed it was William. Ominously, there was no movement. Hoss told the men to fan out on both sides and take cover. "Watch that tree line across the way. That's close enough that a good shot could get one or more of us. They got lots of cover. Joe, you and Candy take charge of the men on the right. Clarence, would you and your boys take the group to the left, and both of you work your way toward that tree line?"

Joe was worried. "Hoss, what are you planning to do?"

"I'm gonna ride down there and see to my nephew. If he's hurt, I'm gonna find the ones who done it and make 'em pay."

"I'll ride down there. As Adam would say if he was here: you're too big a target. You take the men and work your way to the tree line. When you think there's enough cover, I'll ride down to William."

"No, Joe, I should go. I've got more experience fighting Indians than you do."

"Enough, you two. Joe, you get ready to go. William may need our help. Candy, please take the other group and let's get moving."

Brent stepped forward. "I'll go with Joe to give him close cover. I've had some experience having to cover my brothers too."

Hoss agreed with the suggestions and the men moved to their positions. With a grin, Joe held Cochise and watched as the men worked their way out to form a line of covering fire if needed. He mounted up then and rode hard down the hill toward the bundle at the bottom with the bare feet sticking out of it. When he got there, he was relieved to see no blood. He pulled his knife and cut through the bindings opening the urine-soaked blanket to find a terrified William who was gagged and blindfolded. William began to struggle against Joe who had to grab his arms and hold him down.

Calling William's name several times, Joe did his best to calm the panic stricken boy. "William, it's Uncle Joe. Uncle Hoss is up on the hill. We're going to take you home."

The familiarity of Joe's voice penetrated and William stopped fighting and started shaking as the meaning of what Joe had said sunk in and he knew he was going home. As the gag and blindfold were removed, William appeared to be in shock. He grabbed Joe and buried his head into Joe's neck as he wrapped his arms around his uncle and sobbed. Joe held him close and waited next to Cochise until Hoss and some of the others rode down beside him as Candy led men into the tree line. Soon there were two shots. The men they had been chasing were long gone. Clarence and his sons with Candy continued the pursuit of the two Bannocks who had abducted William. Roy arrived with the posse and some of them chose to join the pursuit. Roy and a few others stood with Joe and Hoss as Joe did his best to comfort the little boy.

"What do we do now, Hoss?"

"Joe, we take our nephew home, and we see how our brother is doing."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

At Adam's house, Hop Sing was working more of his magic. After sending Rosalie to get cleaned up and Ben to take a nap, he soaked cloths in a soothing concoction and was applying those to Adam's shoulder and upper arm that had swollen. He had removed the blanket from the bed and covered Adam only to the waist with a light sheet to help Adam be cooler because it allowed the sweat to do what it needed to do by evaporating to cool his body. He spooned cooled tea into Adam's mouth making sure he swallowed before giving him more. Adam had neared consciousness several times but the pain and his weakness had overwhelmed him sending him back down into a black abyss. As Hop Sing tended to him, he gradually was able to fight his way to consciousness. When he blinked a few times and opened his eyes, Hop Sing went to the door and called out for Ben and Rosalie knowing that they were waiting for just such a signal. They rushed into the room to see Adam grimacing in pain but obviously conscious.

"Adam, sweetheart, thank God. I was so scared." Rosalie held Adam's left hand as she sat on the left side of the bed. Ben stood at the foot of the bed.

Adam struggled to speak. "You're safe. Our children?"

Rosalie had been preparing for that question. "Adam, I think that seeing you like this would scare our children especially William. Annie isn't quite aware of what's going on, but I'm sorry to say that you look dreadful. It would upset her too to see you like this." She schooled her voice so that none of the fear came through.

Adam nodded slightly and closed his eyes for a moment. Then he opened them and asked another question as he looked directly at his father. "Did you catch them?" He had heard the three shots and knew his family must have come to help.

Ben answered that one. "Hoss and Joe are out right now tracking them. Roy took a posse out to follow. By this late in the day, they have probably joined forces and are working together."

"Enough talk. Time for tea and rest."

Hop Sing took charge knowing that it was difficult for Rosalie and Ben to keep up the pretense that everything was all right when both were terribly worried about William. Adam was too exhausted to notice. He closed his eyes and let Rosalie spoon cool tea into his mouth. Before the cup was gone, he had fallen asleep. Hop Sing continued to place the cloths on Adam's shoulder and arm. Rosalie asked to help and he showed her how and where to place the cloths changing them as Adam's body heated them. Then he left to get more water to mix with herbs to use to cool Adam. Minnie asked if Ben could help with Annie who was becoming more and more cranky with the change in her routine. She had never been without one parent or the other for such a long time and her mood reflected that. Ben was relieved to have something to do that occupied his mind so he didn't worry too much about his suffering son and his missing grandson. Minnie smiled as she watched Ben start to interact with Annie. It had worked much as she had hoped it would. She went to the kitchen to prepare food expecting or at least hoping that there would soon be men there who were hungry. A rider coming in fast got Ben and Rosalie's attention. Both rushed to the porch to find out what the rider knew. It was one of the posse members.

"They found him. William is safe. They're riding back slow cause the boy is hanging on to Joe like his life depended on it. They should be here in about two hours."

Unable to speak, Rosalie sank down on a porch step and shed some tears that she had been holding back. Ben had a few more questions.

"What about the two who took him?"

"They got away. Candy and the Mortons are leading most of the men after them. Hoss, Joe, and Roy are riding back here with a couple of others."

"Will you help me saddle two horses and lead us back to them. That boy needs to see his mother as soon as possible."

Within about ten minutes, the three of them were riding back along the track the rider had followed. In less than an hour, they saw the group heading their way with a pinto in the lead setting the pace. Rosalie took off riding hard toward them. Hoss saw them coming and helped Joe from his horse because William refused to let go. Rosalie rode up and pulled her horse to a stop dismounting rapidly and rushing to Joe. As soon as she said William's name, he raised his head and put out his arms to his mother who hugged him close as soon as Joe handed him over. The men stood and watched with a few tears in their eyes at the reunion of mother and son. Ben arrived and Hoss and Joe asked a question almost in unison.

"How's Adam?"

"He woke up. He's in a lot of pain, but the fever isn't too bad and there's no more bleeding. He'll be fine. He's going to need some time to recuperate and some help doing ordinary things. Now not only will he have problems with his left arm, but his right arm is going to be nearly useless until the swelling goes down. At least there's no damage to the arm itself, but there's swelling at the shoulder that is causing a great deal of pain. He was sleeping when we left."

"Pa, I think I'll head home then. I need to change clothes." Joe indicated where William had been clinging to him. "William needs to get cleaned up too, but I'm sure his mother can handle that."

"Hoss, why don't you go home too?" Ben had noted that Hoss was still wearing the shirt that had been stained with Adam's blood the night before. "See to your family and whatever else needs to be done, please. Joe can help. I'm going back to Adam's house. All of you can meet us there later for dinner. We need to talk about this situation and try to understand what happened."

Hoss didn't want to leave yet though. "I'll ride with you to Adam's house. It would make me feel better to see William all the way home."

Hoss and Ben helped Rosalie to mount up on her horse with William clinging to her. Ben took the reins of the horse and mounted up on Buck to lead her horse back to her home. They went at a gentle pace and gradually William said a few things.

"Mama, they wouldn't let me go in the woods. I wet my pants. You're not mad, are you?"

"No, William. I am not mad at all. I am so very happy to have you back and unhurt. They didn't hurt you, did they?"

"It hurt to be tied up so tight. They got mad at me for fighting back. The mean one laid me on my stomach over his legs when we were riding. That hurt too."

"That's all?"

Then in the most tearful and plaintive voice imaginable, William asked the question that made him the most scared. "Mama, they said Papa was dead. He's not dead, is he? They couldn't kill Papa, could they?"

"No, Papa is not dead. He's hurt. He's going to want to see you as soon as you're cleaned up and he's awake."

"He's sleeping?"

"Yes, he needs to rest quite a lot so he can recover."

"He's not 'sleeping' like that fawn was a little while ago when we were coming back from church is he? We saw him, and Uncle Joe said he was sleeping. I saw the blood on him. He looked dead."

"No, Papa is really sleeping. You'll see when you get back."

"Mama, I'm a little hungry too. Uncle Joe said they had food for me. I was too scared to eat. Can I eat something now?"

Hoss heard them and rode up beside Rosalie. He opened the saddlebag that Ben had given him that morning and pulled out a biscuit that had some preserves inside. He handed that over and William began to eat. Then he handed over his canteen for William to drink. All of the men there were amazed at the resilience of the young boy, and it reminded them very much of the parents he had. Once they reached Adam's home, the posse members headed to town with the body of Snake tied over a horse. Before they left, each man told William how brave he had been and how proud they were to have helped rescue such a courageous boy.

"Mama, I wasn't brave. I was scared."

"Every one of us would have been scared in that situation."

"Papa wouldn't have been scared."

"Oh, yes, Papa would have been scared too. Bravery is facing your fear and doing what you have to do even if you're scared. Your Papa does that very well."

Ben stepped up beside Rosalie and William. "Your Mama does it very well too, William. You have courageous parents, and you are a very courageous boy. I'm proud of you."

William had a lot to think about then. He had cried, wet his pants, and been too afraid to let go of Uncle Joe and then of his mother. Yet people said he was brave. He wondered at that and thought he would have a few questions for his father when he finally got to talk with him. Hop Sing had a bath ready for William and Minnie had gotten clean clothing for him. In a very short time, he was clean, dressed, and feeling much better although he stayed close to his mother not wanting to let her out of his sight. When Ben told them that Adam was awake, William took his mother's hand and tugged her to come with him. At the door to his parents' bedroom, William halted. He had been taught to knock and wait for an answer before entering, but the door was ajar and his mother was with him. He didn't know what to do. Rosalie smiled and pushed the door open. She had warned William that his father did not know that he had been abducted. He wasn't supposed to say anything about it until his mother had a chance to explain. That all changed rather suddenly.

"Thank the Lord, Hoss and Joe got you back."

"How did you know?" Rosalie was shocked.

Stronger because of the broth and juices that Hop Sing had been feeding him, and with nearly a full day to recuperate, Adam was able to talk more clearly and louder. "Sweetheart, you don't lie well at all, and that's a very good thing. Pa doesn't lie well either, and I overheard bits and pieces of conversation too. There isn't much I can do here except think about things. I was in no condition to help, so I kept my mouth shut and prayed. So, William, will you get up here on the bed and give me a hug?"

"I don't want to hurt you." William had been taken aback to see his father looking so drawn and pale with a large bandage across his chest holding a large wad of cloth under his arm.

"It's all right if you come up on my left side. Both of the arrows hit me in the right side."

"You got hit twice?"

"Yes, the other one was in my hip."

"Can I see?"

"May you see."

"Yes, Papa, that's what I want."

Smiling, Adam remembered how he had often tried to correct Hoss' or Joe's grammar only to get that exact kind of response. He pushed the sheet down a bit lower so that William could see the large bandage around his hips holding another wad of cloth to his other wound. William took a good look at that too and how it was done. "William, it seems like you might be destined to a career in medicine."

"What's that mean?"

"It means that you might be a doctor some day."

"Yes, I would like to be a doctor, but I want to be like you too. I want to build things, and ride horses, and go hunting too. Uncle Hoss said you're the best shot with a rifle that he's ever seen. Will you teach me?"

Rosalie rolled her eyes as Adam smiled knowing what she was thinking. He too liked to have a lot of irons in the fire, and it seemed his son thought the same way. William climbed onto the bed then and hugged his father very carefully. They talked briefly about what had happened and William repeated much of what Rosalie had said to him about courage. Hoss and Joe were soon there too wanting to see how Adam was doing. Joe was in clean clothing which surprised Adam because he had returned from spending the day chasing the two Bannocks who had taken William.

"Well, I was extra dirty so I got cleaned up. William and I take great pride in our appearance, you know." Joe winked conspiratorially to William who thought about it for a moment and smiled back. He knew that Joe wasn't going to say anything about the wet pants he had been wearing when Joe rescued him.

"Hey, William, Joe brought Gunnie with him. He's downstairs and wants to know all about what happened."

As William exited, Ben and Roy came into the bedroom. "Adam, you ready to tell me what happened. You know I need to make a formal report about all this. I know what happened to Rosalie and William but I need to know what happened to you."

"Snake shot me. I got home and walked into the stable, put Sport away, and when I was going to walk to the house, I got shot in the hip. I fell but managed to scramble back into the stable to take cover. They rushed me though. I shot Janus but Bob landed on top of me and rolled me over onto my hip. He got my gun away from me, and while I was laying there, Snake shot me with an arrow again."

"Wait! Bob and Janus Pirtnac were there?"

"Yes, that's what I said."

"Well, ifn you shot Janus, we should be able to track him down. With a bullet in him, he ain't anywhere too far. How did you shoot Snake after you had two arrows in you?"

"I didn't. I don't know who shot Snake. I thought I heard a shot before I passed out. I thought they might have shot me again except I didn't feel any more pain. That's all I know except I did hear the three shots Rosalie fired. I hoped that help would come in time for her and the children."

Ben and Rosalie were both very surprised. Neither had thought to question Adam early that afternoon because they thought they knew most of what had happened and thought too that Adam needed to rest. Neither had wanted to talk much about that either because Adam might start asking questions that they didn't want to answer. That the Pirtnacs had actually been there was even more disconcerting than knowing that they were somehow mixed up in the whole thing. Ben stated what the others had to be thinking.

"One of the Pirtnacs must have killed Snake then using Adam's pistol."

The room was quiet as they considered what had been said and the implications of all of it. Adam surprised them again.

"They're cantrips. Who knows what their real name is."

Hoss was as confused as everyone else. "Their name is Pirtnac. What do you mean they're Cantrips?"

"Their last name. It's cantrip spelled backwards. A cantrip is something that reads the same forwards and backwards. Her name reads the same backward and forward just like two of her brothers, Eke and Bob. I wondered about that name Eke the first time I heard it. A cantrip can also be a spell, a witch's trick, or a sham too. Her being taken by three Bannocks and harmed by them is a sham, a trick. They're trying to be so clever. They want to start a war, and we have to stop them." Adam looked smug as he watched all of the others think about what he had said.

Roy was the first to respond. "Well, now, based on what you done told me, I can arrest that Janus and Bob. That'll take care of the two of 'em. Now, how do we go about getting evidence against the other two, and how we gonna catch them two who took William too?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"So you believe me now that I saw Anna voluntarily riding out with three Bannocks?"

Ben took a deep breath before answering that one because he had to apologize. "I am sorry for doubting you. Candy told us that you had been on the porch but then left. I had a pretty good idea of what you had heard. Son, we were discussing it. We hadn't drawn any conclusions. If you had stayed, you would have heard us all come around to your version of events. It didn't make much sense to us, but we trusted you. We were not meaning to have you think that we didn't believe you."

"But you wondered if I had been mistaken?"

"Yes, that's true, but by the time we aired our thoughts out on that, we knew you saw what you thought you saw. We were saddling up our horses to come over here to tell you that when we heard the rifle shots. I'm sorry we didn't get her sooner. I hope that you can forgive us for airing our temporary doubts."

"It's all right, Pa." Adam looked to Hoss and Joe too and smiled. "I guess I may have been a bit oversensitive after the reaction I got in town. People were almost openly calling me a liar. They did call me an Indian lover. I hate that because what I want is justice and fairness. I don't want to favor either one over the other. It's not that I love Indians so much but that I respect their way of life and wish they could keep it, and I hate what is being done to them in the name of progress."

Ben was very pleased that harmony had been restored in the family. "We do understand your position and we think much the same as you do. It's good that we could get that straightened out, but now we need to move on and talk about how we're going to do the things that Roy asked. How to we get evidence against Anna and Eke, and how do we catch the two who took William?"

With all the information they had explained to Adam, he thought he knew how they could identity the two who had taken William. "If Anna allowed herself to be seen with Snake or at least in situations that allowed people to draw that conclusion, then Snake was likely seen with the other two Bannocks who took my son."

Roy picked up on that immediately knowing that he could interview people who knew Snake and by that means find out who his companions had been. "Adam, I think I can find that out. But how we gonna catch 'em? The posse isn't likely to find them especially without Hoss tracking for them."

They thought about that problem until Ben had a suggestion. "Roy, many people have been pushing for a militia, haven't they?"

Frowning and then smiling, Roy nodded. "Yep, that's true. And it sure would relieve a lot of tension if the militia could actually form and go out there and do something."

"Roy, you're not seriously considering a militia? Remember what happened with the Paiute. They had too much to drink and let themselves get stirred up with a lot of talk against the Paiute and what they had supposedly done. Many lives were lost because of that in the militia attack on the Paiute that turned into a rout and in the follow-up retaliation against the Paiute."

"Adam, I could put Clem in charge, and he could keep them in order. Heck, your pa has led militia a time or two. Now, Hoss, would you track for them?"

"I shur would, Roy."

"Hey, I'm going too." Joe wasn't willing to be left out of it.

Adam frowned as the militia idea seemed to be one that Roy and his father and brothers endorsed, but it worried him a great deal.

Roy was set now that he had a plan in mind. "Well, now, I got a lot of information to work on. Know that I'll be checking in with you tomorrow if I can find out anything. Ben, you gonna allow the militia on your land to follow the two who done this?"

"If my sons are with them, yes, that won't be a problem. But, there's another problem. If you arrest Bob and Janus Pirtnac, then they will know that the only evidence against them is Adam's testimony and the possible testimony of the two Bannocks if they can be found and brought in alive."

Rosalie gasped with the implications of that, and everyone else looked worried. Ben thought that there was only one good solution.

"Adam, you and your family and Minnie need to move into the main house. It will be crowded, but we can protect all of you better there than here. We can keep everyone close. Anna and her brother won't be able to get anywhere near you or any of the family."

"If it's too crowded, we could go to my father's house. He has room there too."

"Rosalie, he has room, but it is only your father and brothers and a few hands. Here we can draw on over fifty to help defend us. It would be much safer on the Ponderosa. We should warn your family to be careful though. I wouldn't put it past that witch to try to get to you and Adam through your family." From that day on, if anyone said 'witch', everyone else knew to whom they were referring. Ben glanced at the bed then to see how drawn and tired Adam looked. "I'm glad we have the beginning of a plan. Tonight, we'll keep guards here. I doubt that they will try anything so soon. Tomorrow, we can move Adam and his family to the main house."

Adam nodded because he was suddenly too tired to do anything else. As if by some extra sensory ability, Hop Sing appeared at that moment with a tray for Adam and shooed everyone out of the room except for Rosalie. He set the tray on the table and asked her to get Adam to take as much as possible before he gave in to the sleep that beckoned him. She thanked Hop Sing who hurried down the stairs to serve a meal to the others as well as to the men who stood guard outside. After dinner, Ben and Hoss returned to the main house, but Joe and the hands outside stayed the night taking turns watching over the house and stable.

The next morning, Hoss and Ben were back with two wagons so that they could take enough to keep the family comfortable at the main house. Annie's crib as well as William's small bed were loaded into one wagon with clothing, bedding, and toys. In the other wagon, they made a comfortable bed for Adam using a bunkhouse mattress, and piled in other personal possessions such as Adam's guitar that the family might want with them leaving nothing of value in the house other than the common household furnishings one might find in any well-appointed home. Once all of that was accomplished, Hoss and Ben helped Adam down the stairs and out to the wagon settling him in before helping Rosalie and the children into the same wagon. Adam had wanted to try to walk by himself but both Ben and Hoss knew that he had pushed too hard the day before by spending so much time talking about what had happened and how to proceed. Rosalie had told them that he had slept twelve hours falling asleep as soon as she had fed him the broth and not waking at all until that morning.

"Older brother, you best just let me and Pa help you. Otherwise, I may have to up and carry you across my shoulders like a sack of grain which you might find a bit uncomfortable."

That Adam acquiesced so easily was a sign of his weakness, but to William, seeing his father walking even with assistance was a relief. He had found it difficult to sleep the night before even when his mother had told him he could put some blankets on the floor and sleep in their room. He was not only afraid of what had happened to him, but he feared that he was not being told the full truth about his father's condition. He had noted even at his very young age that adults seemed to keep bad news to themselves. Seeing Adam upright and hearing his Uncle Hoss teasing his father let William know that his father was going to be all right. He had a smile by the time Adam was resting in the back of the wagon. As Hoss climbed onto the seat to drive the wagon, he turned to William.

"Hey, there, whippersnapper, what's got you smiling? You lookin' forward to stayin' with us again?"

"No, I mean, yes, I am. But I'm mostly happy that Papa is going to be all right."

Adam reached out to take his son's hand at that point. William smiled with the reassurance of his father's hand holding his. Then Hoss asked if William wanted to ride up on the seat with him, and Adam could see how torn he was.

"Go ahead and sit with Hoss. You can help your Uncle Hoss and keep an eye on me from up there too. It will give your Mama more room to sit with Annie."

With a smile, and then with great care after Rosalie reminded William not to bump his father, William climbed up on the seat with a helping hand from Hoss. Ben drove his wagon from the yard and Hoss followed going more slowly to give Adam a more comfortable ride. As the two wagons moved off in the direction of the main house, Joe and the hands who had kept guard overnight rode back with them. Some rode in front and some behind with the others strung out alongside of the wagons. There were watchers on the hillside who were very disappointed to see that Adam Cartwright was alive and how careful the Cartwrights were.

"See, I told you, Anna. They was never gonna be easy to get to. Adam Cartwright is alive just like the people in town was saying. He's gonna keep talking against us. And now Janus and Bob are gonna be arrested soon as that sheriff can find 'em."

"Well, he won't find them. Damn those two brothers of ours. They can't even do something simple like ambush and kill one man with the odds three to one in their favor. Let me think. There's always more than one way to get rid of someone. Killing him was the easy way. Too bad that Snake was such an awful shot. He was useful in some ways and I'll miss him. It's still strange how Adam Cartwright managed to shoot him even though he had two arrows in him. What do you think really happened in that stable?"

"I don't know, Anna."

"Well, what do you think Caleb and Janus did?"

"I thought we was supposed to use our new names all the time now even when we're talking with each other?"

"We are, but I'm a bit upset with those two right now. Now, what about the question I asked you? What do you think they did?"

Eke paused unsure of his sister's reaction, but he also knew she would know if he tried to lie about it. He had to say what he was thinking. "If I had to guess, I'd say one of them shot Snake after Cartwright was shot."

"I think so too. It would suit them right if I let that sheriff arrest them." Eke looked worried. "Don't fret none. I wouldn't do it, but I would like to except I can't trust Janus not to sing like a bird if it meant he could get out of it. It would be just like him to lay the blame on someone else. No, we'll figure out a way to turn this all around. Let's go see to Janus, and then we'll head to town to see what we can do about all of this."

The sister and brother rode off then to where they had set Janus and Bob up in a camp. They needed a cover story for the two. They needed to talk about their plans to start a war with the Bannocks that so far had produced nothing. They had to pause at one point and take cover when they saw the men who had been in the posse and chasing Tagi and Tuku. Anna had to smile then because it was clear that they had not caught the two Bannocks who had kidnapped William Cartwright. They rode slumped in the saddles and looking defeated. She began to think about how she could yet turn this around in their favor. They would rendezvous with Janus and Bob and then wait for Tagi and Tuku to get to their prearranged meeting site. She hoped to have a plan ready by then.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"That's it, Ben. The posse came back empty-handed. Your hands and the Mortons couldn't find anything either. Apparently they split into three groups and couldn't find nary a sign of 'em."

Roy had ridden out to the Ponderosa to talk to Ben who of course already knew that the pursuit had failed.

"Do we know who we're looking for?"

"Now I been questioning people in town and out in the mining camps. Seems that Snake was seen sometimes with two Bannocks, Tagi and Tuku, if my information is correct. There's still lots of talk of a militia forming, and if it does, Clem's gonna lead 'em, but we got no idea where to search. I'm worried that things could get out of hand with a militia, and they might head on up to the Bannock lands. You know if that happens, we're looking at another war."

"Roy, you have to stop it. Call in the Army if you have to."

"Well, now, I could call in the Army, but I was kinda hoping that Hoss and Joe could head out there and find some trail for them to follow. I know it'll be a cold trail, but it's better'n we got now."

"What about arresting Bob and Janus Pirtnac?"

"They're gone too. Anna and that big brother of hers claim they went out hunting more than a day before Adam was attacked. I can't prove otherwise. At this point, it's gonna be Adam's word against theirs."

"You can't do anything?" Ben's voice had risen in volume and people in the house could probably hear. Ben knew he needed to keep this information from Adam at least for the time being. He was too weak to face more stress. Hoss and Joe came outside though. Ben suggested that they go to the bunkhouse to talk. Once there, Hoss and Joe wanted to know what had upset their father, and they were bothered as much by the news as he had been. However they had an outlet for their frustration because they could follow Roy's suggestion and head out to do some tracking.

"Pa, Joe and me will head out right now. We'll take Candy with us. He's almost as good at tracking as I am. With the three of us, we'll find something."

"You could take a few of the men too to give you a better chance of finding something."

"Pa, there's been too many riding up there already. If we're gonna find something, it'll be better with only the three of us. Hopefully we can sort out all the tracks and find the ones we want."

Roy left as Ben went to tell the Rosalie what was happening, and Hoss and Joe got what they needed. Hoss told Joelle why he had to be gone and promised that all they would be doing was tracking. Hoss and Joe then asked Candy to go with them, and soon the four of them were in the stable saddling their horses when they heard a small voice.

"Are you going after the men who took me and hurt Papa?"

Looking at William, Hoss was reminded very much of Adam as a boy. He didn't remember Adam at William's age of course because Hoss hadn't been born yet, but he remembered how Adam could always seem to figure out what was going on and then ask their Pa about it. Sometimes Ben tried to skirt around the truth, but Adam always seemed to know he wasn't being entirely truthful. Hoss remembered once when Adam must have been about thirteen and that had happened. He had looked at their father and said something that changed their relationship forever.

" _Don't you know that I worry more when you won't tell me what you're doing? It makes me think that it's far more dangerous than the things you will tell me."_

Ben had looked at Adam, and after a moment's reflection, he nodded. He sent Hoss from the room and then talked with Adam for what seemed like forever to a seven-year-old Hoss but was probably more like ten minutes. Hoss looked at William as he waited.

"We're gonna try to find the tracks of the ones who done it all. Ifn we do, we'll come back here and get help. We want to take 'em alive so that we can get to the truth of why they done it."

"Good."

With that, William turned to go back to the house. Candy looked at Hoss and Joe.

"That boy is definitely his father's son. Doesn't say much but gets right to the point."

"He smiles and laughs more than Adam did or at least that's the way I remember it. I said that to Pa once and he agreed with me. Now you know Adam was talking about taking William on a camping trip when he turns five. I think I'd like to take Gunnie and go with 'em."

Candy nodded. "Sounds like a good plan. Let's get going and find those two Bannocks so this whole countryside can calm down some and make that trip possible."

Within a few minutes, the three men were mounted up and heading north to try to find the tracks of two unshod horses amid thousands of acres of land. It was a daunting task, but all three were determined to succeed. There was too much at stake to fail. For the first day, they found the tracks of the men who had been tracking Tagi and Tuku. They followed them to the valley where William had been rescued and then up into the trees beyond looking along the way for any sign that the two Bannocks had doubled back and had mixed their tracks with the men chasing them. They found where the larger group had split into three groups and decided to camp for the night and see what they could find in the morning.

"It's gotta be what they done. I've been wondering why they left tracks that was so easy to follow and then disappeared. They let us follow them until they done what they planned to do. Then they was back doing it the Bannock way and covered their tracks and probably backtracked at some point. We'll head out in the morning with each of us following one of the trails. Soon as any of us see unshod horse tracks, we fire two shots and the others come a running. We're gonna get these two."

Back at the main house, Rosalie decided to tell Adam what was happening. She knew he worried about what was going on and must have heard horses arriving and leaving. Ben thought that it would be best if Adam was kept in the dark thinking he would rest easier that way, but he was very restless. Rosalie thought he might be reassured by knowing what was being done. She brought him some soft foods for his dinner and helped him eat. He must have sensed the tension in her because he asked what was wrong.

"Why do you think something is wrong?"

"I know I was not much help. I got very tired and slept most of the last night and day, but that doesn't mean I don't notice things. One thing I've noticed today is that if I ask Pa or Hop Sing a question, they answer with a question. You did that too. I'm quite good at evasion myself so I certainly know when others are doing it to me. What's happened?"

Rosalie took a deep breath and answered. "They didn't catch the two Bannocks who had William. They let him go and disappeared apparently."

"It probably means that they had their escape planned. They never meant to keep William. They wanted the pursuit and the anger the kidnapping would cause. They made it look like they were taking William to the Bannock because they wanted people mad at the Bannocks."

"Yes, your father said that to me too. They still hurt William. Not physically, but he slept in here last night, and I'm guessing he'll want to sleep in here tonight too."

"For one more night, that should be fine. Give him something to do though. He needs to feel needed. I'll talk with him when we get a chance to be alone, and hopefully, I'll be able to reassure him enough for him to sleep in Gunnie's room with him. Now what's the rest of the bad news?"

Rosalie smiled because she should have known that trying to get Adam to think about William was not going to deter him from getting the answers he wanted. "Bob and Janus Pirtnac are missing. Their sister and brother say that they went on a hunting trip before you were attacked, and that they're not back yet."

As Adam rolled that thought around for a time, Rosalie noticed he was frowning. She suspected that he knew the import of that. She was correct.

"So unless the two Bannocks are caught, it's my word against Bob and Janus. It might not hold up in court. Damn!"

"Hoss, Joe, and Candy are out tracking the two Bannocks now. Hopefully they will find their trail and then the militia will be able to capture them."

"Militia? Please say that was a slip of the tongue and you didn't say militia." Rosalie didn't want to answer that but her reluctance to answer was all that Adam needed. "I had hoped that Roy would reconsider that idea. I wish Pa had never brought it up."

"Adam, what happened with the Paiute and the militia?"

For the next half hour, Adam explained how he had helped Bruno, but that the killing of the men at Wilson Station had led to a militia moving against the Paiute. Shots were fired without orders, many of the militia were killed, and Adam was taken prisoner. He was to be killed if the Army attacked, but managed to free himself. He couldn't stop the massacre and neither could his father and Joe. Many Paiute died that day, and Adam still felt responsible because he thought he should have done things differently.

"Adam, how could any of that be your fault? The members of that militia acted on their hatred and their fear. They committed a grievous wrong and many of them died for it."

"I was the one who helped Bruno rescue the women, and that made Wilson hate me. When Ring Nose and his men killed Wilson's brother and the other men, the desire for revenge was too great. I should have stayed there and made sure that nothing happened to the Wilsons. I could have brought them to the sheriff. None of the killing would have happened then."

"Oh, so, one of your talents is seeing into the future? Adam, there was no way for you to know what Ring Nose and Bruno would do. You can't blame yourself because others did terrible things. Certainly you can't blame yourself for anything that is happening now." Rosalie saw the look he had though and knew. "You had to tell the truth about what you saw. Again, no one had any idea then that the witch was going to try to start a war with the Bannocks. It's an outrageous scheme with little chance of success. No one could have anticipated that."

With no way to refute Rosalie's logic, Adam nodded. "I would like to get out of this bed and go downstairs. Would you help me dress?"

Rosalie paused. She knew that Adam probably should stay in bed and rest, but she also knew that William would be greatly relieved to see his father downstairs and interacting normally with the family. "All right, but I'm not helping you with your boots. You will wear slippers and sit in a chair."

Playfully, Adam saluted her with his left hand. It took some time for him to dress because it was painful for him to move his right leg and right arm, but after some time they managed to get him into a shirt and a pair of pants. Rosalie slipped the soft leather slippers on his feet.

"Now, are you ready?"

Nodding, Adam put up his left arm for Rosalie to slip under. His shirt hung loose because it seemed it would be needlessly painful for him to have to tuck it in with the bandage over the wound on his hip. Carefully they walked out and down the hall to the stairs. Ben saw them at the top and rushed to help.

"Rosalie, it might be better if he leaned on me."

"Pa, it's all right. I mostly need her to help keep me steady. You could walk in front though just in case."

So Ben backed down the stairs watching to be sure that Adam didn't lose his balance. Once they were downstairs, Adam walked on his own to the blue chair and nearly collapsed in it. That small amount of effort had shown him how weak he was, and he knew he wasn't going to be able to do much for a day or two. Of course, he was being optimistic. The doctor had said two weeks at least. Adam didn't dare voice his thought though knowing the reaction he would get from the others. Instead, William came up beside him, smiled, and asked if he could read to his father. Adam thought that would be a great idea so William ran to get one of his books as did Gunnie. Both boys had not yet been to school but both were learning how to read. Adam had been coaching them whenever he had a chance. Gunnie was sight-reading while William sounded out the words as well as he could. The two boys worked their way through their books, switched, and then worked their way through their cousin's book. Ben sat at his desk and enjoyed the scene as did Rosalie and Joelle.

All went well for the rest of the day and the next day as well until horses pounded into the yard at dusk. Ben rushed to the door with Joelle right behind him as Rosalie and the children sat with Adam. They heard Joe whoop and knew that the news was good. Soon Joe was in the house with Hoss and Candy.

"We found them, Adam. We're going to get the hands to help us, and tomorrow, we plan to go after them. It was just like Hoss said. They backtracked and rode over the trail of one of the groups following them. I found the tracks, and then Hoss followed them until they turned off and headed to where they're camped."

"What makes you think they'll stay there?"

Hoss answered that one. "They got quite a few supplies stacked under a tarp. It looks like they're planning to be there for a while. And the best part is that Bob and Janus Pirtnac are with 'em."

"Well, that about seals that argument. They were working together, and Anna faked that assault. I'm glad that we're going to take them into custody. The militia won't have to ride at all."

Hoss got concerned then. "We're getting them. You're not."

"Hoss, after what they did taking William, I have a right to ride with you."

"Maybe you do, but you're still hurting. You would slow us up."

Adam started to get angry and wanted to stand but Hoss put a powerful finger in his chest and pushed him back down into the chair. "That ought to show you that you can't come along. We'd be spending our time watching out for you. You want them caught or not?"

Seething a little, Adam grudgingly answered. "I want them caught."

"Good, then that's settled. We're gonna get something to eat, get some sleep, and head on outta here at first light."

Calming himself, Adam addressed his brothers. It was a difficult concession for him to make because he wanted so much to have a part in apprehending those who had harmed his family and him. "Thank you, Joe, Hoss. I can't tell you how grateful I am for all that you're doing."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Early the next morning as thin wisps of fog dissipated with the rising sun, Adam awoke and saw his son standing at the window looking out at the yard. There were muffled sounds of voices of men talking quietly so as not to disturb those who were still sleeping, the squeaking of harness and saddles, and occasionally the clink of metal. William heard his father stirring and looked back to see Adam crook a finger at him to get him to come over to him.

"Uncle Hoss and Uncle Joe are going after the men who hurt us. They'll have them by the end of the day."

"I wish I could be brave like that and go get the bad men. I wish I wasn't afraid. Uncle Hoss and Uncle Joe aren't afraid."

Frowning, Adam asked why William said that.

"They're going after the bad men. They aren't afraid of them. I am."

"They're afraid. Fear will make them be careful because they know what could go wrong."

"They're afraid?"

"Of course they're afraid. Any sensible person is afraid when they're facing danger and the unknown."

"Were you ever afraid?"

"Very often. I'm afraid right now."

William quickly glanced around the room but saw no danger. "What are you afraid of?"

"I'm afraid that harm could come to my brothers or the men who are going with them. I'm afraid that they might be forming a militia in town by now and that they might march against the Bannocks and start a war."

"Were you afraid in the stable the night when they hurt you?"

"Terrified. I thought I might die when I saw Snake pointing that arrow at me. I didn't want to leave you and Mama and Annie, but there was a chance that would happen."

"What did you do?"

Adam decided that he needed to be honest with William so that he could better understand the whole situation. "I waited until I saw his finger twitch on the bowstring and then I rolled to the side. Otherwise he would have hit me in the heart probably."

William couldn't imagine facing someone about to shoot an arrow into him and be able to think much less react. "That sounds like you were brave not afraid."

"William, I was both. I was scared but I had to face that fear to live. You did the same when they kidnapped you. Mama said you were fighting against them as much as you could. That's being brave even when you're scared. Being brave is facing your fears and doing what you have to do even though you are very frightened."

William frowned as he thought, and Adam was reminded of Little Joe at that age when he would scrunch up his face in thought sometimes. "Papa, I think I'll go try to sleep in Gunnie's room for a while." He paused for a moment. "But I can come back here if I have to, can't I?"

"Of course you can. William, I'm very proud of you."

William smiled, gathered up his blankets, and headed to Gunnie's room but paused in the doorway. "Papa, I'm proud of you too." William was a bit afraid of being so far from his parents but he wanted to be like his father. He faced that fear, opened the door to Gunnie's room, and climbed into his small bed that had been placed there. Within a few minutes, he fell asleep.

Rosalie had been feigning sleep as Adam and William talked. She rose up on one elbow to kiss Adam and then snuggled against his left side. "You're a wonderful father."

"I had a good teacher."

As Rosalie snuggled into the spot next to Adam, he closed his eyes and tried to sleep. It didn't work. After about fifteen minutes, Rosalie pushed up and looked down at him to see if he was sleeping.

"I can't sleep and I can see that you aren't sleeping either. Let's get up. We can probably get downstairs before your father today."

"Don't bet on it. I'm sure he was up to see Hoss and Joe and the men off this morning. He wouldn't go back to bed after that. He'll be keeping a vigil all day most likely until we get word that they were successful and everyone is safe."

After helping Adam to shave and dress, Rosalie headed down to the girls' room to see how Annie was doing. She had slept through the night since arriving at the main house and apparently had done so again. When she opened the door, Annie was standing in her crib waiting. She smiled that same crooked little smile that Adam had. Rosalie picked her up and took her from the room without waking the twins. She peeked in Gunnie's room and saw that both boys were sound asleep. With Annie on her arm, she walked with Adam as he made his way slowly down the stairs. Adam was doing well considering that he had an arrow removed from his hip only a short time before. He couldn't use his right arm yet because it was too painful so he walked down the left side and used his left arm on the banister to keep his balance. Ben saw that Rosalie was carrying Annie and wouldn't be able to help Adam, but he refrained from going to his son's assistance knowing Adam would not like it. He did breathe an audible sigh of relief when Adam stepped down from the last riser. Adam heard him and smiled. He guessed that being a father and worrying never ended. The four of them sat at the table sipping their beverages until Joelle and the other children joined them. The adults were well aware that there would be a lot of worrying in the house until Hoss and Joe returned and hopefully without anyone getting hurt. When they heard riders in the yard, there was a momentary worry except there were still men on guard. If they had let the riders through, then there was no danger. Ben went to answer the door and was surprised to see Roy and Clem.

"Ben, we got some bad news for ya. We're hoping that maybe you got some good news for us, or otherwise our news is gonna be getting worse and worse."

"Hoss and Joe led some of our men out to get the two Bannocks and the two missing Pirtnac brothers. What's the bad news?"

"Well, now, it might not be so bad ifn Hoss and Joe can produce those four real soon like. Anna Pirtnac's been spreading some nasty stuff in town, and some men formed a militia and refused to let Clem lead them. They said he was working for you just like they said I am. I know now how Adam must have felt when people was saying things questioning his honesty."

That got Rosalie's attention as well as Adam's. They asked what Anna had been saying.

"Well, she says you're a lying about Bob and Janus attacking you. She said that she got hurt by the Bannocks but William didn't. She says him being kidnapped was just so you could say that the Pirtnacs were lying about them Bannocks. Of course she's been making a point that it was Joe who found William. Hoss was there and Candy too. She says that you all been trying to shift blame from the Bannocks to the Pirtnacs so that you can get at the gold and silver that's on their land."

Adam was skeptical that anyone would believe them. "How would they know that there's gold and silver on Bannock lands?"

"She says that she and her brothers found gold there, but she says the Bannock chased 'em off. She held up a gold nugget and told people it came from Bannock lands. Ifn we don't get the truth out real soon, there's likely to be a war especially if people think they can go up there and pick up gold nuggets. You know how gold fever makes people lose what sense they got. Those militia men are bound and determined to go after the Bannocks now."

Ben was outraged. "I'll ride out there and talk to those men. They have to see reason."

"No, Ben, I'm not sure I want you to ride out to talk to 'em. I'm afraid of what they might do seeing you come up on 'em with Ponderosa hands. See, that Pirtnac woman done told them that the Bannocks who attacked her did it on the Ponderosa and then those two Bannocks ran this way to escape cause she says that the Cartwrights are helping them any way they can. The best way to stop that militia is for Hoss and Joe to ride up to 'em with those two Bannocks and with Bob and Janus Pirtnac too. That would shake 'em up and make 'em listen."

"What about Adam getting shot? Surely they don't think we staged that?"

"Ben, by the time we got wind of what was going on, them men was in a nasty mood and drinking too. Trying to reason with 'em was hopeless. What we want to know is if you would let some of your men ride with Clem and try to head them off if they get too close to Bannock land. I don't want a war here."

"I'll ride with Clem. We can get some men to help but we won't have many because we have to leave some on guard here and some are working at jobs that have to be done. There are some men taking care of the horses at Adam's home and watching over the place. I guess we could get them to come with us."

"Whatever you can do, Ben, is gonna help, but make sure that militia knows that it's Clem in charge. I'm heading back to town. I've been trying to get the Army to come on up here and help, but they're telling me by telegram that it's not serious enough for them to take jurisdiction. I guess we have to have people dying before they'll come help us."

"Pa, I could go with you. I could take the buckboard."

"Adam, don't be ridiculous. You can only use one arm and that's your left." Ben realized then that he had reminded Adam not only of his current injury but that his left arm had not fully recovered from him being shot twice years before. He had never gotten the strength back in the arm although his hand functioned normally. He saw the stricken look on Adam's face and did his best to backtrack on what he had said. "Son, you're still recovering. You can't drive and shoot at the same time. You stay here and help protect the family."

"With what? A scattergun?"

"If that's what it takes, I know you'll do it."

A look passed between father and son communicating all that needed to be said. Ben trusted Adam but didn't want to take him into harm's way when he was still recovering from two wounds that prevented him from using a pistol or rifle. Adam saw that his father was only concerned for his safety and trusted Adam to protect those left in the house.

"I will. Now, you and Clem need to get going. I suspect that you'll be out ahead of that militia in no time. Maybe they'll let you take charge seeing as how you have the militia rank."

"I doubt that but it's a good idea to try anyway. I'll take my shirt and see if those bars mean anything to those men."

After Clem and Ben rode out, Adam walked out to talk with the men still on guard duty. He had a funny feeling about all of this and wondered if there was an ulterior motive behind what Anna had said that they had not yet determined. Once he got back inside, Rosalie expressed the same thought.

"Everything that is happening draws men away from the house. Could it be that Anna had that in mind all along?"

"Maybe. We should get ready because it might be possible. Let's close the shutters on the windows and go upstairs and close all the windows. I know it's hot, but it's cool enough inside the house yet. We'll keep things buttoned up until more of the men get back. I'll go warn Hop Sing."

Joelle had been listening and asked what she could do, and Rosalie asked if she would watch over the children while they made preparations. She was happy to do that as that role came naturally to her. Rosalie got a small pistol and slipped it into her apron pocket with some extra shells. She went upstairs to close all the windows. Adam went into the kitchen to tell Hop Sing and Minnie who were chattering away as they baked items for lunch and dinner. Hop Sing set his shotgun within easy reach as a precaution. Minnie asked what she could do.

"Can you shoot?"

"I suppose I could. I've never tried."

"If trouble happens, help Joelle with the children then. Rosalie, Hop Sing, and I will handle any shooting that is necessary. For today, we'll have the girls take their naps downstairs with us."

"You do think something is going to happen here, don't you?"

"Yes, the more we do, the more I think that might be part of that witch's plan. We'll be ready this time though. There are two men in the loft, two behind the house, two in the bunkhouse, and two others riding a circuit around the place. We'll make it as hard as possible for her to get close."

Nothing happened for about an hour. Suddenly they heard yelling from outside and a loud knock on the door. One of the men identified himself and Adam opened the door.

"Lots of smoke coming from what looks like your place. Davis and Mac already rode off to see if they can save the horses. Hopefully, they haven't fired the stable."

"No one else should leave. This is what we've been expecting. That witch had to do one more thing to draw the men away from the house. You tell the others to stay put, and you and Bill come in the house. We'll put you upstairs in two of the bedrooms to give you a better vantage point."

Rosalie was distraught. "Oh, Adam, our home. And we have six mares in the stable about to deliver."

"Davis and Mac will get them out if they can. Maybe she didn't fire the stable." Adam turned to find William and Gunnie wide-eyed with fear.

"Papa, is somebody burning our house down?"

"William, yes, that's probably true. But remember that everything that is important is right here in this house. We have each other."

Rosalie and Minnie got some toys together and got the girls on the floor behind Ben's desk. They pulled the chairs away and made a big tent by draping a tablecloth over the desk. The girls had a makeshift playhouse and Minnie stayed with them to keep them occupied. William and Gunnie were given paper and pencils to draw pictures, and Joelle and Rosalie stayed at their side. Adam paced and Ben watched. Nothing happened.

Up on a hill overlooking the ranch house, Anna was angry. "Every time I work out a plan, that damn Adam Cartwright messes it up. One way or another, we have to get rid of him."

Anna and Eke Pirtnac had ridden toward the house hoping to get close enough to kill Adam. If he was dead, there was no evidence against Bob and Janus because they had been instructed to take care of Tagi and Tuku. Janus had come up with a plan of how they could do just that, and if successful, it would tie up any loose ends. Now they saw that there were men at the upstairs windows of the ranch house, two more men behind the house, and other men in the stable keeping watch. The lower windows of the house had been shuttered. Anna and Eke knew that they were outgunned, and in this situation, outmaneuvered. Their only consolation was that Adam no longer had a house to which to return.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

At Anna's brothers' camp, Hoss was surprised by what he saw there as were Joe and Candy.

"Bob and Janus aren't wearing pistols. That's dadblamed peculiar. I could swear we saw 'em wearing pistols yesterday."

"Hoss, they were. Candy must have seen it too?"

Joe looked to Candy and got confirmation of that when Candy nodded. The three of them had led the men to the camp where the two Bannocks and the Pirtnac brothers were staying. They didn't know that Eke and Anna had been there but left about an hour earlier so no one had seen them. As the three men looked at the camp from a vantage point, they had to wonder why the two Bannocks were armed and the Pirtnacs were not.

"They look real comfortable around each other, but I gotta wonder why two ain't ready to defend the camp. I mean, it ain't much of a camp, but you know what I mean."

"It is odd, but maybe they're so confident we would never find the place that they're too relaxed about everything." Candy was uneasy about the situation and tried to find a logical reason for what they were seeing.

In more of a mood to take some action with their quarry in position to be taken quite easily, Joe suggested they continue with their original plan. Without any sound basis on which to argue against that suggestion, Hoss and Candy agreed. All three moved out then to lead the men in a three pronged attack that kept them from firing on each other and left the men they wanted with nowhere to go because a sheer rock wall was the back of their camp. As they approached the camp, Candy had a sudden thought about why the situation was set up the way it was, but it was probably too late to prevent it. He did his best but failed as Hoss yelled out for the men to surrender. The two Bannocks immediately turned their weapons in the direction of Hoss' voice. The plan had been to let the men know how hopeless their situation was so that they would surrender. Instead, the Pirtnac brothers dove across the campsite grabbing pistols and turning to fire into the backs of Tagi and Tuku who never imagined such treachery and were dead before they realized they had been betrayed. Candy rushed into the camp first and struck Bob and then Janus who fell clutching his side.

"What'd you do that for? We're on your side. Those two took us prisoner a couple of days ago. They shot Janus. He's lucky to be alive." Bob was following the script that Anna had provided and coached them to say.

And there it was: the cover story all wrapped up in a nice neat bundle. Hoss was furious. He and Candy and Joe had seen the four interacting normally just the day before.

"Adam, shot you, you jasper. And you helped that other yahoo shoot Adam. Both of you did it, and you're going to jail for a long time, I hope."

"We have no idea what you're talking about. We haven't been near your brother's place."

Hoss and Joe were angered by that denial, but Candy grinned. He waited for the two brothers to implicate themselves further. Hoss was so angry that he didn't realize what the two brothers had already admitted.

"You helped them two over there take a child, one of Adam's children. Ain't no way we're forgetting that."

"We weren't even in the house when they took the boy." Bob started to get defensive.

Janus thought he was so clever in dispatching of the only other two witnesses against them because he assumed that Anna and Eke would have killed Adam by the time this group got back. "Yeah, ain't our fault that Snake decided to put two arrows into your brother out in the stable."

Candy couldn't hold back. He turned to Hoss and Joe. "Don't you think you got enough out of them now?"

Hoss and Joe answered in unison. "Huh?" After what Candy had asked, they began thinking about what the Pirtnacs had said. Suddenly both realized what had been said was all the evidence they needed. Hoss smiled as Joe spoke.

"Supposedly they were out here hunting, but they knew that the attack took place at Adam's home. They knew that it was William and not Annie who was taken from the house by the Bannock. They knew that Snake shot Adam and that he did it with two arrows. They even knew that Adam was in the stable when he was shot. Seems to me that's a whole lot of guilty knowledge. They had to be there to know all of that."

"No, no, Anna told us. She was here last night. She left only about an hour ago. She must have heard it in town."

Candy grinned. "So you two were being held as prisoners by these two, but they let Anna and Eke go and your sister and brother decided to leave you here in the custody of two Bannock who had supposedly already assaulted her?"

Both Janus and Bob knew it was over. They had implicated themselves in a major crime. Janus faced a lot more if he was arrested. Once they knew his name, they would know that he was wanted in California as a suspect in three murders. He was facing the gallows so he lunged for his pistol that was still lying in the dirt several yards from where he stood. He managed to get his hand on the pistol but that was all. Multiple shots killed him before he could turn the pistol on anyone. Bob had raised his hands in the air hoping that they would not shoot him too. He only faced a prison term so he was more willing to cooperate.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for all we done. Please don't shoot me. I'll tell the whole story. Honest, I will."

Hoss pointed a pistol at Bob's belly. "All right, out with it then. You can start with your real name."

"I'm Caleb Fleming. That's really Janus. He's my brother, ah, he was my brother. Eke is Zachariah Fleming and goes by Zach normally, and Anna is Bealtuinn Fleming. We usually called her Beal until she told us to call her Anna. Our parents were from Scotland. She got her ways from our mother who told us she was a witch and that was why they had to leave." Caleb told the story then of their plan to start a war with the Bannock so they could claim some of their land and look for gold. He said Beal said they could sell the land if they didn't find any gold. Either way, they made money and it didn't cost them anything. He explained how and why they attacked Adam and kidnapped William but then let him go. Once he finished his story, he was tied and put on a horse as the three bodies were wrapped in blankets and thrown across their horses. Candy and four of the men headed toward town and Sheriff Coffee with the three corpses, the extra supplies, and Caleb or 'Bob'. Hoss headed out leading the rest of the group back toward the ranch house. None of them knew that the militia was on the move toward Bannock lands.

"There's no point in going back to town if he makes it all the way there. He's probably singing like a bird by now." Frustrated at not getting a chance to shoot Adam to remove the witness against them, Beal and Zach had turned around to return to the campsite but had seen Candy leading a group of men including their brother and three bodies draped over horses that they knew must be Janus, Tagi, and Tuku. They had no idea what had happened, but it was very bad news for them regardless of what had transpired. "There's only one way to stop him."

"You can't mean that?"

"Would you rather see him spend the next twenty years in prison? Think of it as saving him from a twenty-year term at hard labor. You know he would never survive it. It's the merciful thing to do."

"But, Beal, he's our brother."

"There are three bodies there and he's tied up. He might even be facing the gallows. Would you rather let him hang or rot in prison? Do you think he wants to face that?"

With no better alternative, Zach was quiet. He didn't see the small feral smile on his sister as they turned uphill to get a better vantage point. Within twenty minutes, they were ready. As the line of men drew close enough, they opened fire on the group aiming specifically for Caleb first and then scattering fire all around to get the others to go for cover. That would give them the time they needed to get away. For a change, their plan worked. They rode toward the ranch house as Candy and the others cautiously left cover to check on Caleb who was dying. With tears in his eyes, Caleb looked up at Candy.

"I was afraid she'd do it. She always said if I got caught I was gonna sing like a bird. She was right. I knew she wouldn't let me do it."

With that, Caleb's eyes closed and slowly his body shut down until the gray color of his skin let the others know he had died. They wrapped his body in another blanket and tied it over his horse. Candy was upset that he wouldn't be alive to testify but they did have ten men who had heard his confession, and now there were five who had heard his theory of who killed him and why.

As Hoss and Joe led the others back to the ranch house, they heard the shots in the distance. Hoss headed that way with the men as Joe rode to the house to let them know what was happening. When Hoss got to Candy and the others, he was surprised to hear what had happened and what Caleb had said.

"Candy, we gotta ride. If she would kill her own brother to get rid of a witness, she's gotta be going after Adam next."

Leaving two men to lead the horses carrying the corpses and supplies to town, Candy, Hoss, and the other two rode hard for the ranch house. At the back of the house, Beal and Zach had found a way to climb up to a window to enter the house using the cover of the trees so they weren't spotted. They had come up the hill instead of from the direction of town and smiled as they saw the backs of the two men on guard who were watching in the wrong direction. Once in the house, the two didn't move for nearly fifteen minutes. They listened for sounds of normal activity in the house. They heard adults talking, but it was when they heard the sounds of children playing that they knew they were undetected by those in the house. Moving carefully, they opened the door to the bedroom and cautiously stepped into the hallway. The sounds of the children had stopped rather suddenly so they rushed to the top of the stairs and saw Adam and Rosalie heading to the door.

"Hold it right there or I shoot her in the back."

Adam stopped and pushed Rosalie in front of him. He wouldn't have been strong enough to do it in his condition except she hadn't anticipated him doing that. Beal and Zach came down the stairs.

"Turn around. Now! Where did everyone go?"

"We were warned that you were here in the house. The children and everyone else were evacuated. We were last and didn't move fast enough."

Beal hesitated. She had never killed a woman and even for her, shooting an unarmed woman was something she had never anticipated doing. She saw a pistol rig lying on the credenza near the door, and she had an idea. "She can go if you strap on that pistol. We'll make this a fair fight so nobody can say we murdered you. Is it a deal?"

"He can't use his right arm yet. It would be murder. And you already have your weapon drawn." Rosalie was scared for Adam and incensed that this woman had come into the family home and threatened lives.

"He can use his left hand if he wants. Now or never, Cartwright."

"It's a deal. Rosalie, trust me."

Adam had seen a hint of a green jacket at the top of the stairs but couldn't look there to confirm his suspicions without giving away the help that had arrived. He wanted to buy some time for Joe and whoever was with him to get in position. Rosalie heard the plea in his voice that sounded more like Adam the planner than Adam in a desperate situation. She looked into his eyes and he nodded almost imperceptibly as he moved his eyes to the left and up. She was smart enough not to follow the look and simply agreed to leave. She picked up the pistol rig and handed it to Adam.

"I love you. I will never forgive you if you let them kill you."

"I'll do my best. Pray that my guardian angels are able to help."

Zach had moved toward Adam and when Rosalie stepped outside, he pushed the door closed. Adam asked for help in strapping on the gunbelt and tying the hold down strap to his thigh. Zach stepped aside then and turned to Beal who still had her pistol in her hand. Adam yelled "Now!" and stepped directly behind Zach and with his left hand pulled the man toward his spot as Beal fired. She hit Zach in the belly severing his aorta. She screamed with outrage as Zach, with blood spurting from him, fell taking Adam down to the floor with him. She pointed her pistol at Adam who could do nothing to defend himself at that point. It wasn't necessary though as three shots hit her almost simultaneously from the top of the stairs where Joe, Candy, and one of the men who had been standing guard all fired at the same time. Beal's shot went wild and buried itself in the wall. Rosalie burst through the door to see Adam on the floor covered in blood and bleeding from his nose and mouth.

"Oh, my God, Adam!" She dropped to her knees beside him as tears flowed.

"Sweetheart, it's not my blood. Well, most of it isn't. His head smacked me in the face when we fell. Can somebody get him off of me? It hurts like hell."

Hoss had come inside by then and lifted Zach up so that Rosalie could help Adam stand. Joe and Candy were soon there as the two men who had been keeping watch upstairs left the house. Anna retrieved a towel that Adam could hold to his nose and lip to stop the bleeding.

"Hoss, could you tell them to keep the children busy outside until we can clean up this mess?"

"Already done, older brother. Minnie and Joelle got all of them in the stable. They're checking out the kittens. We'll take some books and toys out there soon enough. Hop Sing is probably already heating water to clean things up."

"How did you know what was happening?"

"We got waved down by Joe as we came back. He said he saw Beal and Zach heading toward the house. We needed to work our way in close without making any noise so that's what we did. When we saw them climbing in a window in the back, we had to move fast."

"Beal and Zach?"

"It's a long story. I'll tell all of it as soon as I answer your first question."

Hoss had come to the door then and told everyone that they had to leave the house. It didn't take long when he said it with such command. The children had rushed out first shepherded by Joelle and Minnie who had been holding Annie. Rosalie had helped Adam to stand and that's when Beal and Zach had decided to make their move, but Candy and Joe were already climbing into the house through Joe's bedroom window. Joe had a lot of practice at that and told Candy how to do it.

"Looks like I owe you a big thank you once again. Thank you. Now, what happened out there to lead to this?"

The story was explained including everything that Caleb had said about the plans and what they had done.

"They said there was no cost, but it cost them their lives. Now, did anyone ride to stop the militia?" Adam pulled the towel away from his face glad that the bleeding had stopped so quickly.

"The militia?"

"They headed out and Pa and Clem rode with some men to try to stop them from starting a war. If they don't know, you need a fast rider to go tell them."

It didn't take long for Joe and Candy to volunteer to ride. They saddled fresh horses with Joe taking Sport at Adam's suggestion. The big horse could cover a lot of ground fast, and they could only hope it was fast enough.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Shortly after Candy and Joe left, Roy arrived with a small detachment of soldiers. Apparently the Army was in negotiations further north trying to establish a reservation for Bannock and Shoshoni and didn't want the problems in Nevada to escalate to the point where it threatened that development. Hoss saddled up to lead the soldiers, and after Roy heard the whole story of what had happened, he rode back to town with the bodies of Beal and Zach Fleming. He had sighed, deeply happy, to know that it was all over but dreading the reports he was going to have to write. It was quiet in the house then as the girls were taking naps and the boys were quietly having a snack at the table under Joelle's supervision while Minnie helped Hop Sing in the kitchen. They expected that there might be a very large number of hungry men there that evening and wanted to be prepared.

Adam sat by the fireplace and relaxed for the first time in days. As he watched Rosalie watching their son, he smiled. He realized he was a happy man. When Rosalie turned to him and saw him smiling, she asked why.

"Because I love you, and I love our children, and my life is wonderful."

"After all that's happened, you aren't upset?"

"No, I have everything that a man needs to be happy. We should talk about rebuilding but right now I have an idea. I do think I would like to take a nap first."

"You're tired?"

"No, I thought you could take a 'nap' with me." Adam gave her that cute little lopsided grin she liked so much.

"Yes, I do think I could use a 'nap' too. I'll tell the children and the others. Then I'll help you up the stairs for the 'nap' we need so much."

"Don't say it like that to Minnie and Hop Sing. They'll figure it out."

"Adam, they'll figure it out anyway. Nothing gets by those two. It's like Hop Sing has taught them to read Cartwright minds."

Later in the bedroom, Rosalie helped Adam undress and lay back in the bed. He watched as she undressed. "You're going to have to do a lot more until my arm is stronger."

"Oh, I know that. I'm rather looking forward to it." That made Adam grin which always made Rosalie a bit weak in the knees. She slipped into bed beside him. "You may not need a nap now, but I can almost guarantee that you're going to need one later." And then she did what she promised. They talked a bit later, and as usual, they came to some mutually agreeable conclusions rather quickly as they tended to agree on most important matters. Then Adam did say he was tired so they snuggled in for a time. When she heard Adam's breathing become slow and regular, she slipped from beneath his left arm and leaned over to kiss him. He got a small smile on his face from that but never opened his eyes. She leaned against him for a time thankful that all he had was a sore lip as evidence of the struggle they had at the house that day. When she was sure he was sound asleep, she moved carefully out of the bed and dressed. She sat in the chair by the window and did some sewing before she picked up a book and read for a short time. When she heard horses in the yard, she pulled the window shut so that Adam would not be disturbed and went to see who had returned and with what news.

It was Ben, Hoss, Joe, and Candy who had come home. The militia had been stopped before any lives could be taken but had ransacked a small camp that they had found. The Bannocks had heard them coming and had retreated before the larger number once they realized the hostile intent. They had left behind pots of food cooking on campfires and most of their personal possessions taking only their weapons and blankets. The rest had been wrecked, burned, or damaged. Ben had been shaken by the experience. No matter how many times you saw civilized men acting as savages because they claimed that Indians were savages, it never could be accepted. He described what had happened.

"We saw smoke on the horizon and feared the worst. When we got there, it was clear that many of the men had been drinking. I shudder to think what they would have done if any Bannocks had stayed in their village. I don't think it would have mattered if it was women and children. Some men openly admitted that they wanted a scalp for a trophy."

"That's about the time we got there too. Pa had been trying to talk to them and get them to see reason. All they wanted to do was chase down and kill Indians. I don't think it even mattered to them any more if they were Bannock or not. When Candy and I told them what had happened, they didn't want to believe it. Pa gave a little speech then. Slowly they seemed like they might be coming around. Hoss arriving with the soldiers was what they needed to back down though."

Several were curious about Ben's speech so he had to explain. "I'm not sure it qualifies as a speech. I only said that no matter what they thought of us whether it was as friends, neighbors, rivals, or enemies, did anyone ever know of a time when we lied to them. No one could say we had so I pointed out that Joe had given them a very reasonable explanation of what had happened and that both he and Candy let them know that the ones responsible had paid the price."

The Army unit was planning to leave supplies and hoped to make some restitution for what was lost. Because the militia had taken some action, had heard that two Bannocks had been killed, and had the Army there as a deterrent to any further action, they agreed to go back to Virginia City and disband. Before he and the others headed home, Ben sent the hands to follow them to be sure they kept going. At home, Ben heard what had happened and could see where the floor had been scoured to remove bloodstains. He noticed that the rug near the front door was missing and would have to be replaced. Hoss pointed up at the bullet hole in the wall that needed patching as well.

Hoss tried to put it all in perspective. "Not too much damage considering what they meant to do."

"Now, where is Adam?" Ben needed to see him to reassure himself that all was well.

"He's still sleeping. It took more out of him than he thought." Rosalie got a little smile from Minnie and from Joelle. It didn't matter. She and Adam had needed that time together.

Ben wondered at the smiles and what he was missing but decided that it wasn't anything of his concern. He was hungry though and asked when dinner would be ready. Minnie answered.

"The food is ready as soon as you're cleaned up and seated at the table. We've already got the children eating in the kitchen. Annie is quite proud to be included with the other four. It makes her feel all grown up. I don't think she needs to sit on anyone's lap at dinner any longer."

With that, Minnie headed back to the kitchen and what she thought might be her last night on the Ponderosa. Adam and Rosalie no longer had a house, and it was crowded enough in the big house with Adam and his family living there. She knew she would miss them so much especially because she had come to think of all of them as family. When she had a chance after dinner to speak with Rosalie, she broached the subject of returning to town.

"Oh, Minnie, we need you. You're so good with the children, and Hop Sing doesn't trust anyone else to help him in the kitchen. I would miss you so much, and the children would miss you terribly."

"The house is so crowded already. You need that space for your family."

"Adam and I talked briefly. He's upset that the house he designed and built for us is gone. He plans to rebuild and follow the same plans. We can start building almost immediately. As soon as he's strong enough, he'll set the cornerstones and go up to the lumber mill and put in an order for what he wants. He plans to talk to his father about it soon, perhaps even tonight."

"Yes, I can see that Adam would need to do that in order to be able to start forgetting about some of the terrible things that happened. Just think, if he hadn't seen that woman riding with those Bannocks, you would still have your home and Adam would not have been hurt. My goodness, William wouldn't have been taken."

"Yes, and we would probably be looking at a war with the Bannocks and countless lives lost. In comparing those two possibilities, we paid a price but it was worth it. William has come through it very well. I think being here with so much family around was the best possible medicine for him."

"Well, if Adam and the rest of the family don't mind, I do like having this job. I don't know what I would do if I didn't. I have so much energy and no family and no husband to care for. My son and his wife don't need help, and the few times that they do, they like to let the members of the church help out. It brings them all closer together."

As Minnie and Rosalie talked, Adam was telling his father about his building plans much as Rosalie had described them to Minnie. "So, Pa, I think I can get started as soon as my boss tells me I'm permitted to wear my boots and leave the house."

Ben smiled. "She put her foot down, did she?"

Adam nodded and then smiled a bit. "Yes, she did. She holds a pretty strong hand in this game too. She said she wants to be there to help set the cornerstones too."

"Adam, why do you need to set cornerstones. If you're using the same plans and building the same house, can't you use the ones you set originally?"

"We could, except we don't want to build in the same place." Ben got a worried look then wondering if Adam was going to build closer to town. "We were thinking that the piece of land on the other side of the grove of trees out back would be acceptable to you. I know we would be only a hundred yards away and we wondered if you thought it was too close. We could pick a spot further away if you thought we should."

"Oh, no, you don't. You said a hundred yards away and I'm holding you to that now." Ben's grin could not have been larger. "What about the stable you have?"

"We'll talk with Joe about merging the two horse operations. He and Rosalie can work together on some of the horse breeding and training. Our stable is still a nice show stable and perhaps that's what they'll use that for. It's only twenty minutes away so it could be used for any purpose they wish. It will be up to the two of them."

"Son, I'm almost as happy as when I found out you got married and then later when you told me you were having a baby and then another later. This ranks right up there with that great news."

About that time, Minnie and Rosalie walked out from the kitchen. When Rosalie saw Ben smiling and Adam relaxed, she knew that Adam had told him about building closer to the house. "Well, I have some good news too. Minnie has agreed to stay on in this crowded house as long as it's acceptable to the men here."

"Of course it's acceptable. It's more than acceptable. Minnie, we have come to rely on you so much and you're so good with Annie and William. You're the grandmother they've never had. I'm very happy you have agreed to stay. I will build you a nice room in the new house."

Joe and Hoss were also happy to have Minnie stay. It was nice having an older woman there who could act as an advisor when they had questions about women that their brother and father couldn't answer. Ben was very pleased she was staying.

"I would add my affirmative vote to that. Now, would you like to take a walk outside where it's cooler?"

As Ben escorted Minnie out the door for a walk, Hoss scrunched up his face in a big silly smile as he used his eyes to point to the front door. It made the others laugh even the children who didn't know what was funny. It was time then to get the children off to bed, but William had a question.

"Papa, you said we could go on a camping trip when all the trouble was over. Is the trouble all over?"

"Yes, son, we can go on a camping trip as soon as I feel stronger. The trouble is all over."


End file.
